This is the dad that every mother wants for her baby and every father should strive to be. This type of father is truly an equal with his partner in all aspects of his family's care. He is a good father, but also a good husband or boyfriend to his baby's mother. Even if the parents are no longer a couple, he is still supportive and takes his parenting duties seriously.

If there is something he doesn't do, it is because both caregivers have compromised on the matter and he makes up for it somewhere else. If both parents work, then he shares equally in parenting duties when they both are home. If his partner is a stay-at-home mom, he gives her a break in the evening, either by helping care for the baby or doing some of the chores around the house when he gets home from work.

The Father of the Year dad isn't afraid to change a dirty diaper, give his baby a bath, or stay up with her when she is sick. He knows his baby's routine and doesn't need a detailed list of things to do every time he cares for the baby. He knows what his baby is eating and drinking, how much, and when to feed it to her. And he knows and has met his baby's pediatrician on many occasions.

By definition, a stay-at-home dad usually qualifies for Father of the Year honors, as long as he isn't simply acting as a baby sitter. If he just watches the baby all day when his partner is at work, but neglects all of the other daily chores, including housework, shopping, and nighttime duties, he will fall to the level of somewhat supportive, mostly helpful, or even clueless. A dad who stays home still needs to be equal partners with the baby's mother and share household and parenting duties.